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Starless

by Jacqueline Carey (Goodreads Author)

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A said: " What an absolute delight! Starless is incredible, engaging, impressive, and emotional from start to finish.

If you are a fan of Jacqueline Carey’s other works, this is my favorite novel of hers since the Kushiel series. If you’ve never read a book by What an absolute delight! Starless is incredible, engaging, impressive, and emotional from start to finish.

If you are a fan of Jacqueline Carey’s other works, this is my favorite novel of hers since the Kushiel series. If you’ve never read a book by her before, this is a beautiful standalone novel that does justice to what an incredibly talented writer Carey is.

1. As I always anticipate with Carey’s novels, all of the characters, even the side characters, are fully developed with stories of their own. What I found particularly impressive about Starless was there were so many characters who had such exciting lives and “backstories” that they could have been protagonists of the story instead! A spoiler to give my favorite example, and gush about my favorite character, Brother Yarit: (view spoiler) The protagonist, Khai, was endearing, entertaining, and thoroughly enjoyable to read.

2. Again, as I now anticipate with Carey’s novels, the world building is sublime. Starless is filled with a myriad of unique and fascinating cultures and people, all of which come alive off of the page. Even cultures that are only briefly mentioned or visited have a wealth of story behind them, and the little bit we do hear is enough to convey the vibrancy it has, while not bogging the book down with too MUCH description on events not relevant to the plot. The places that the characters do spend more time in are significantly expanded upon until they feel familiar and understood.

3. Starless has an epic, world-shaking story. While the story begins with a young boy training to be a warrior in a desert, the places it goes are never what I would have anticipated at the beginning. I was constantly surprised as the plot expanded and changed course, growing more epic as it progressed. I also am impressed by how Carey kept the story fresh by not falling into storytelling tropes. Her ability to tell an epic, unique story is superb. Spoiler in one of my favorite examples: (view spoiler)

4. I was NEVER bored. In fact, I could hardly stop reading the book. I think fantasy fans will be familiar with a common pitfall of the genre… endless walking, traveling, training, exposition, and what feels like “filler” in between the “exciting” parts of the novel. Not so with Starless. Every chapter has a purpose, furthers the plot, deepens the character development, and/or reveals something new about the world.

5. I swear, my vocabulary improves drastically in the weeks surrounding reading one of Carey’s books haha! Carey’s writing style is magnificent. She writes with eloquent prose that at the same time paints a vivid picture of her world, while also not feeling too heavy.

6. I won’t go too much into the ending, only to say it was every bit as epic as the events leading up to it deserved, and it was both emotional and satisfying.

The ONLY con of this book was when I realized it’s a standalone novel, and not a trilogy. ...more "

Aug 16, 2019 11:38AM · see review